Russians threaten US P-3 jet

Drudge ^

[Ted]

Russian warplanes threatened patrolling U.S. Navy P-3 aircraft over the Pacific Ocean last week as the American planes monitored a military exercise in the region, the WASHINGTON TIMES is planning to report on Tuesday... MORE.. At one point during the aerial harassment, a MiG-31 interceptor pilot flew his jet within 50 feet of a P-3 maritime patrol and reconnaissance plane. One alarming sign of the Russian intercept was a radio message sent by one MiG-31 pilot to his base stating his fire-control radar had 'locked on' to the U.S. surveillance plane, U.S. intelligence tell Gertz at the TIMES... A radar 'lock' is a pilot's final step before firing a guided missile... Developing... RUSSIAN WARPLANES HARASS U.S. CRAFT OVER PACIFIC

[Ted]

What are they thinking?...

[In veno, veritas]

What are they thinking? Knock down our plane, steal our intelligence, then demand to be payed for it.

[DearAbby]

There not!!!!!!!!!!!! That would have been a very stupid move on the part of the Russian Pilot. We would have shot him down in a blaze of gunfire.

[griffin]

Is not 'locking on' a std intimidation tactic in air to air intercepts?? I'm not so sure this isn't just hype...

[america-rules]

This has been happening for over 40 years - no news here!

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

We would have shot him down in a blaze of gunfire.

With what?

[Ted]

I suppose when you ARE the big dog you're going to get nipped at on a regular basis just to make sure you're still the bad-a** you say you are.

I understand that, but dang, 50 feet? That's way too close, plus the missle lock. I assume the Wash Times is accurate in this, we'll see tomorrow.

[Don Myers]

"With what? "

It is done in the movies all the time.

[Rokke]

Its hype. Locking someone up is not a big deal.

[Bobby777]

Knock down our plane, steal our intelligence, then demand to be payed for it.

haha! that would NEVER work!! ... no, wait ... yikes ...

[ozzymandus]

I was under the impression that this radar lock game is common practice for both sides, but I'm not an expert. I know we bomb Iraqi radar sites that lock on our patrol planes over the "no fly zone", but that's because the Iraqis are forbidden to do so.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Oh yes, I forgot. Just pop out one of those fuselage blisters and take out a Foxhound with a pearl handled 9mm.

[Bedford Forrest]

If the dumb Russky says, "Roger, Contact, Judy, Out", that is not necessarily hostile. But if he says, "Fox 1", that is usually a sign that he's being nasty.

[longshadow]

Russians threaten US P-3 jet

The headline is inaccurate. The P-3 is a turboprop (as in "propeller driven") aircraft.

[Sword_Svalbardt]

The cold war is over, just ask a democratische stazi official, they'll tell you. Better yet put Tom Daschle in one when it gets spanked. Like he knows what its like to risk your life. The Mig 31 Foxhound is a nice plane, anything can splash a P-3. Shadesof Hainan...didn't the Rusky's and the Chinese sign an agreement recently? Hmmm?

[Rokke]

I suppose if you heard the guy say Fox 1, that is about the last thing you'd hear.

[DoughtyOne]

We are half the big dog we were ten years ago. Evidently I'm not the only one to notice. Think about it!

[Sword_Svalbardt]

With what? A P-3, and an EP3 Aries 2 are for surveillance. Where were they at Moneron, or Sakhalin Islands, near Vladisvostok? New Soviet Boomer? New surface combatant? New aircraft? We were looking at something wouldn't ya' think? The only way the CTL's (crypto tech linguists) could have heard that would havew been if the Soviet Pilot would have allowed it. Fun, the kind of things you learn after twenty years in the military. P-3's can only launch Torpedoes, and cruise missiles, they do not have the fire control suite to launch any type of air to air stuff.